LOOK!!! You guys, I am over the moon about this cover for LADY OF BASILIKAS, a standalone in The Droseran Saga universe! Look at all its gorgeousness, masterfully designed by the inimitable KIRK DOUPONCE!!!
Coming May 2024 from Ronie Kendig and Enclave Publishing
This story started as a subplot, small thread in Dawn of Vengeance. When I realized while writing DAWN that I was going to be massively over my word count, I pulled all the scenes between these characters and saved them to an alternate file. Then, we tucked those pieces into the first two books of the Dorseran Saga as they released, but then I had the bright idea to make that story it’s own book!
My publisher thought it was a great idea, and we agreed it should be a short novel–like 50,000 words. Are you laughing hysterically yet? Because anyone who knows me knows I don’t write “short.” Blame my thick Irish blood and gift of gab if you want, but this story quickly overran the 50k-word limit. I, of course, freaked out–I’m a rule follower and I was breaking a rule. So I asked Steve what to do, and his answer was gloriously encouraging: If it needs to be 70k words, it needs to be 70k words. YAY!
Only … it wasn’t 70k words. It was closer to 80k words. But my editor loved the story, and even went as far as to say she though these characters were some of her favorite she’d seen me create (and she’s been with me now for eight book!!).
So … here we go. I hope you enjoy this love story between Vaanvorn Thundred and Lady Valiriana.
ABOUT LADY:
Under attack from without and within, Jherako teeters on the brink. Vaanvorn Thundred, suddenly in possession of a throne he never expected to inherit, will do anything to pull his kingdom from the edge, even if it means striking a marriage bargain with the formidable Faa’Cris. But a skycrawler opens Vorn’s eyes to realities outside his world, and his limits are tested.
Lady Valiriana has one goal when she is sent out from Deversoria: prove this Jherakan king, the one his people call the Errant, unworthy of an alliance with any Faa’Cris. When she exchanges her freedom for that of another, Valiriana finds herself under house arrest—in the king’s house. Determined to take advantage of her proximity, she delves into the depths of the king’s character. What she finds turns her mission on its head.
Vorn must decide: break a planet-wide Accord, risking his throne and life, or leave his country—his planet—vulnerable to threats far bigger than he ever imagined. And Valiriana grapples with unpalatable truths as she discovers the king is anything but errant, while her heart, on the other hand, is a different story.
AUDIOBOOK: I have contracted incomparable narrators Magnus Carlssen and Jane Maree to narrate LADY OF BASILIKAS. If all goes well, the audiobook will release with or very close to the release of the eBook and paperback. Check out this sample of their voices as they read the back-cover copy.